“You have a nice place for your school-house and play-grounds.”

“Yes, sir,” answered Lydia, twirling her sun-bonnet and taking up a small round stone between her naked toes.

“Do you like to go to school?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you a good teacher?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What is her name?”

“Miss Howard,—­Mary Howard, and she lives with Miss Mason.”

“Mary Howard,—­that’s a pretty name,—­is she pretty too?”

“Not so dreadful,” chimed in Susan Bradley.  “She licked brother Tim to-day, and I don’t think she’s much pretty.”

This speech quickly called out the opinion of the other girls as follows: 

“He ought to be licked, for he stole a knife and then lied about it; and Miss Howard is real pretty, and you needn’t say she ain’t, Susan Bradley.”

“Yes, indeed, she’s pretty,” rejoined a second.  “Such handsome eyes, and little white hands.”

“What color are her eyes?” asked the stranger, to which two replied, “blue,” and three more said “black;” while Lydia Knight, who was the oldest of the group, finally settled the question by saying, that “they sometimes looked blue; but if she was real pleased, or sorry either, they turned black!”

The stranger smiled and said, “Tell me more about her.  Does she ever scold, or has she too pretty a mouth for that?”

“No, she never scolds,” said Delia Frost, “and she’s got the nicest, whitest teeth, and I guess she knows it, too for she shows them a great deal.”

“She’s real white, too,” rejoined Lydia Knight, “though pa says she used to be yaller as saffron.”

Here there was a gentle rap upon the window, and the girls starting off, exclaimed, “There, we must go in.”

“May I go too?” asked the stranger, following them to the door.

The girls looked at each other, then at him, then at each other again, and at last Lydia said, “I don’t care, but I guess Miss Howard will be ashamed, for ’twas Suke Bradley’s turn to sweep the school-house this noon-time, and she wouldn’t do it, ’cause Tim got licked.”

“Never mind the school-house,” returned the stranger, “but introduce me as Mr. Stuart.”

Lydia had never introduced any body in her life, and following her companions to her seat, she left Mr. Stuart standing in the doorway.  With her usual politeness, Mary came forward and received the stranger, who gave his name as Mr. Stuart, saying, “he felt much interested in common schools, and therefore had ventured to call.”

Offering the seat of honor, viz., the splint-bottomed chair, Mary resumed her usual duties, occasionally casting a look of curiosity at the stranger, whose eyes seemed constantly upon her.  It was rather warm that day, and when Mary returned from her dinner, Widow Perkins was greatly shocked at seeing her attired in a light pink muslin dress, the short sleeves of which showed to good advantage her round white arms.